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Shannon Que, along with her faculty adviser Dr. Stephen Baldridge, was awarded the Shared Justice Student-Faculty Research Prize from the Center for Public Justice.

Shannon Que, senior social work major from Abilene, is one of three college students from across the nation who were awarded the Shared Justice Student-Faculty Research Prize from the Center for Public Justice, a Christian civic education and public policy research organization based in Washington, D.C.

Que received the prize for her proposal to research college students’ access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in Abilene. In addition to her social work major, Que is working toward minors in Bible, Missions and Ministry, Global Studies and Public Administration.

Students from Christian colleges and universities were invited to apply for the prize, which awards student-faculty pairs with funding to conduct research and write a comprehensive policy report on a social safety net program and its impact in their local community. Que’s faculty adviser is Dr. Stephen Baldridge, BSSW program director and assistant dean of the College of Education and Human Services.

“This is a great opportunity for Shannon and me to get involved in social justice outside of our field,” Baldridge said. “In social work, justice is critical to everything we do. It’s really exciting to get to work with a student to explore this in some new ways alongside students and faculty from other fields.”

Que said she is excited to dive deeper alongside her adviser into a topic that affects millions.

“As a college student, I have seen and heard the negative effects of students who experience food insecurity,” she said. “The narrative of a ‘poor college student’ is an unfortunate reality that too casually gets swept under the rug. It is up to us to eradicate the question from the college experience by increasing accessibility to SNAP benefits for students in need.”

The Center for Public Justice is an independent, nonpartisan organization devoted to policy research and civic education. Working outside the familiar categories of right and left, conservative and liberal, we seek to help citizens and public officeholders respond to God’s call to do justice